ID released of man fatally shot by Broward deputy

POMPANO BEACH — The Broward Sheriff's Office on Monday identified Deosaran Maharaj as the man fatally shot by a deputy after a woman reported that she was threatened by a man with a machete.

Maharaj, 51, had been living at the Motel 6 near Hammondville Road and Northwest 31st Avenue where the incident unfolded on Sunday night, the Sheriff's Office said.

About 8 p.m., the woman approached the deputy and told him about the threat, officials said.

She pointed out the man and his white Chevy Silverado pickup truck at a nearby Marathon gas station and convenience store, according to the Sheriff's Office. The truck was carrying a load of coconuts in its bed.

The truck then left the parking lot with no headlights on, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The deputy pursued the man and attempted a traffic stop along the 300 block of Northwest 31st Avenue, the Sheriff's Office said.

Maharaj failed to comply with the commands of Deputy Paul Yesbeck to show his hands and get on the ground, the agency said. When Maharaj began rifling through his truck, Yesbeck fired multiple shots, at least one of which was fatal, according to the Sheriff's Office.

"The subject at some point was outside the vehicle. The subject went back inside the vehicle. Our depty fired multiple shots at the subject," Sheriff Scott Israel said at the scene Sunday night.

Maharaj, who neighbors said used a machete to break open the coconuts he sold, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Broward Sheriff's Office is trying to find the woman who initially reported being threatened by Maharaj.

The agency asks anyone with information about the shooting to contact Detective Frank llarraza at 954-321-4210 or report tips, anonymously, to Crime Stoppers of Broward County at 954-493-8477.